My Brother, My Enemy
by Panamint
Summary: Actually, I think there was an episode called that... anyway, this is part two of Letting Go, so go read that one first. It'll make more sense that way. Please R&R, but be nice about it. :
1. Chapter 1

**_Joe's Canine Friends, Part Two_**

**_My Brother, My Enemy_**

**DISCLAIMER: Look, I don't have TIME to tell you don't own them--_Get Smart_is going to air in fifteen minutes here!**

* * *

Twenty-two-year-old Adam Cartwright sat silently in the large red chair in the living room, pretending to read. In reality, he was thinking about his youngest brother, known as Little Joe. Adam knew that he had just hurt Joe very deeply, but didn't quite know what to do about it. Right after Adam had tried to _really _apologize, Joe had run out of the house and ridden away as fast as he could. Adam had considered going after the boy, but reconsidered and was now doing his best to cover up his anxiety and guilt by burying his nose in a book, as he always did. 

Another person in the room was Hoss, Adam's other brother. Hoss was standing near the hearth, staring absently into the dying flames of the fire. Although he hadn't been there to witness the event, having retreated to the corral just before it happened, he could imagine just how difficult it must have been for his older brother to explain to Joe exactly how and why he had released the six wolf pups—Montague, Tomahawk, Martha, Juliet, Sam and Flapjack—back into the wild. Hoss had wanted the pups to go back where they belonged just as much as Adam had, but he hadn't wanted to do it this way. And if he had realized just how upset it would make his little brother, he would have forgotten the whole thing altogether, preferring to live with wolves for the rest of the wolves' lives than to break his brother's heart.

Adam glanced up at the clock again. It was 7:30; well-past dinner time, yet none of them had eaten. Joe had been gone all day, without food. If the Cartwright's cook, Hop Sing, hadn't been visiting relatives for the week, he would have had a fit about no one eating, Joe being late for supper again and then threaten to go back to China—again. Adam also knew it was lucky that their father, Ben Cartwright, was in San Francisco for another six days… or, now, five days.

Hoss, meanwhile, had left his post at the fireplace to glance out the window. For the third time that hour, he had thought he heard footsteps. And for the third time that hour, he was wrong. Where _was _that dad-blamed little brother of his, anyhow? It wasn't like Joe to stay out this late, especially when it was dark outside. Maybe he was hurt, or was just scared to come home after what had happened? Hoss was really beginning to get worried now.

Suddenly, he turned around and said, "Adam, he's been gone an awful long time. Dontcha think we oughtta go look fer 'im?"

Adam sighed and put his book down on the coffee table. "I think you're right," he agreed.

Just as the two brothers were about to strap on their gunbelts (or, in Hoss' case, what was left of his gunbelt), they heard the hoof beats of a horse, but they were too light to be one of the fully-grown horses on the ranch. It had to be Joe's pony, Starlight. The hoof beats slowed down and pretty soon, they heard Joe's footsteps, heading for the stable.

Hoss made a move to open the door, but Adam held his arm out to prevent him from leaving. "I'll go. I need to talk to him," Adam declared. Hoss nodded, understanding, and stepped to the side.

Adam trudged out to the barn alone.

Little Joe Cartwright slowed Starlight to a walk as he entered the yard of the ranch house. It had been such a terrible day. First thing in the morning, he had discovered that the precious wolf pups he had raised for five weeks were missing. Worse yet, he had learned that his oldest brother, Adam, was responsible for turning them loose without permission. Joe had been so upset that he had ridden out of the yard as fast as he could and not returned till now.

As he usually did when he was upset, Joe had gone to his mother's grave, near the shores of Lake Tahoe. It was the perfect place to think or tell his troubles to when he feared that no one else would listen. Joe had spent the whole day out there, just talking to his mother. It helped a bit, but it hadn't quite cured the aching feeling in his heart.

As Joe put Starlight in her stall, he thought about how he had brought the wolf pups home on the last day of school. He had snuck them into his lunch-pail and brought them upstairs to his room. Joe felt tears forming in his eyes as he thought about it, and he probably would have cried if he hadn't heard footsteps entering the stable. Joe stiffened but didn't turn around. He recognized those footsteps. Sure enough…

"We need to talk," said Adam from the doorway.

"There's nothing to talk about," Joe replied coldly. He didn't want to discuss the pups with anybody, let alone Adam.

"I think there is," Adam insisted.

"Does that make you right?" asked Joe. He still hadn't turned around.

"No, not always," agreed Adam. "But this time, I am."

Joe proceeded to give Starlight a measure of grain. Joe hadn't eaten all day, and neither had Starlight. Both were very hungry, and Starlight dug into her food gratefully, but Joe knew he had to wait just a little bit longer for his meal.

"Alright, if you won't talk, just listen," said Adam.

"I'm busy," was Joe's only answer. He stroked Starlight's neck as she ate. The little chestnut pony didn't even seem to notice.

"Joe, listen…" Adam began.

"Didn't I listen to you last night?" Joe shot back, turning around so swiftly it made him dizzy. He looked Adam straight in the eye and said, "If I hadn't listened to you, those pups might still be here instead of with a wolf pack."

"Don't you think they belong in the wild?" demanded Adam.

"Well, sure, but not until they were ready," Joe exclaimed.

"They _were _ready," Adam told him. Joe just stormed past his brother and into the house, hoping Hoss wasn't waiting for him with another lecture. Hoss didn't usually scold his younger brother, but Joe had been gone for a very long time so he might.

Luckily for Joe, Hoss was just relieved to have the ten-year-old back home where he belonged. He took Joe into the kitchen and gave him something to eat. To Joe's amazement, even though he was starving, he could only choke down a few mouthfuls of food before pushing the plate away.

"What's the matter?" asked Hoss. "My cookin' ain't that bad, is it?"

"No, Hoss, you're cooking ain't bad," Joe assured him. "I guess I'm just not hungry right now."

"Joe, you haven't had a bite to eat since last night, and you're sayin' ya ain't hungry!" cried Hoss.

"I know it doesn't make much sense, but it's true," sighed Joe. "Guess I'll go on up to bed now. Night, Hoss."

Joe hurried out of the room without even waiting for a reply. He trudged up the stairs as fast as his tired body could go and had shut the door to his room just as Adam came back in from the stable.

"What happened?" Adam asked Hoss as his larger-than-average brother came in from the kitchen.

"I dunno. Whaddya say to 'im?" asked Hoss.

"I didn't get a chance to say anything! He came back inside without even listening to me. Why?" replied Adam.

"Well, dadburnit, he hardly ate anythin'," muttered Hoss. "He even admitted ta not eatin' all day."

"And he still didn't eat anything?" asked Adam incredulously.

"Not more'n a coupla bites," Hoss told him. Adam started towards the stairs, but Hoss grabbed his arm and added, "I wouldn't bother 'im none right now if I was you. I don't think he wants ta see nobody right now."

"Especially not me," Adam mumbled bitterly.

He made his way upstairs and shut his bedroom door behind him.

Joe didn't sleep much. Most of the night was spent either crying silently into his pillow or lying awake, propped up on his elbow, staring at the drawer where he had kept the pups for their first week on the Ponderosa. Joe wished more than anything else in the world for Adam to come in to his room and check on him. Although Joe had given him the brush-off outside, he was dying to talk his oldest brother. He wanted to tell him that he was more upset over the fact that Adam had lied than he could ever be about six wolf pups.

However, Adam did not come into Joe's room, and Joe knew that it was his own fault. If he hadn't been so nasty out in the stable, then perhaps Adam would have come to check on his youngest brother and things would be alright by now.

Joe wondered if things would ever be the same between him and Adam again. Not that they had _always _gotten along well. Ever since Adam had returned home from college two years ago, they had fought frequently and disagreed on almost every subject under the sun. But they had had some great times together as well, and Joe hoped that this wasn't the end of their relationship.

* * *

**Me: Yes, this is another reeeeeaaaalllly old story of mine, which is why it stinks. But whatever. Please R&R anyway! Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear Max calling me on the shoe phone... there's a little _Get Smart _humor... haha...**

**Dick: (sighs, rolls eyes)**


	2. Chapter 2

**_My Brother, My Enemy_**

**_Chapter Two_**

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, not mine, and I am 99.9 percent sure that they never will be (hey, you never know). ;)**

* * *

By the next morning, Joe still didn't feel very hungry. He dutifully avoided meeting Adam's eyes and managed to choke down a few mouthfuls of food, but this was not enough to satisfy Hoss. 

"Dadburnit, Joe, ya gotta eat more than that. Ya ain't had a bite ta eat since night afore last," Hoss complained.

"Leave me alone," Joe answered testily. He continued to push his food around his plate, never lifting the fork to his mouth. Not long afterwards, Joe began to feel a little guilty about snapping at Hoss the way he had.

"Look, Hoss, I'm sorry," Joe apologized. "I didn't mean to yell at you. Guess I'm not in a very good mood today. Maybe I'll get started on my chores."

Before anyone could protest, Joe had left the table and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Sure is upset," said Hoss as he returned to his meal.

"And it's my fault. Is that what you're saying?" Adam snapped.

Hoss threw his fork down and cried, "Dadburnit, what is it with you all today? I say two words and y'all jump down my throat!"

"Sorry, Hoss," muttered Adam. He, like Joe, had suddenly lost his appetite. "But Joe just isn't taking this very well."

"Did ya actually expect 'im to?" Hoss asked.

Adam sighed. "Well, no. But I thought he might have at least given me the chance to explain. I guess I don't know our brother as well as I thought."

"Aw, Adam, ya thought you was doin' the right thing," protested Hoss.

Adam sighed again. "That's the problem," he said quietly. "The whole time, I knew I was doing the _wrong_ thing."

For the second time that morning, Hoss watched one of his brothers leave the table and march out the door.

At the end of the week, just as scheduled, Ben and Hop Sing came home. And Ben took Little Joe fishing, just like he had promised. Life seemed to be returning to normal for the patriarch of the Ponderosa. But to his sons, things were worse than ever: Joe and Adam were barely even speaking to each other, Joe's appetite was beginning to suffer as a consequence and Ben didn't know what to do about it. All of Hoss' attempts to reunite the feuding family members failed miserably, so all he could do was stand back and hope his brothers settled their differences on their own.

The rest of the summer went by quickly—much _too_ quickly, as far as the youngest Cartwright was concerned. Before he knew it, it was early September.

Ben and Hoss had had a long talk the week before school was scheduled to start again, and Ben had agreed to let Hoss drop out, now that he was sixteen. This meant that, not only would Joe have to go to school all alone from now on, he was also the only person in his family to have to write that "What I Did during My Summer Vacation" report. Joe wondered how he could have done so many things yet have so little to write about.

Joe spent the entire evening up in his room, trying to figure out how to write the report. He even refused to come down for dinner, going so far as to lock the door when Hoss threatened to break it down and carry him downstairs physically.

Hoss finally went to dinner without his little brother.

"He won't come down, Pa," Hoss told Ben needlessly.

"I can see that," replied Ben, trying to hide the impatience and annoyance he was feeling. "What I want to know is _why _he won't come down."

There was silence all around the table. Ben was instantly suspicious.

"Adam? Hoss? Did anything happen while I was in San Francisco that I should know about?"

More silence.

"Boys? I expect an answer," Ben said.

Hoss was the first to crack. "Well, Pa, I think Joe's mad at us."

"Why should your brother be mad at you?" asked Ben.

"Because we did… _something_," replied Adam evasively.

"Did WHAT!" Ben asked loudly. It seemed as if the more questions he asked, the fewer answers he got.

Adam was shooting some warning glances in Hoss' direction to tell him to be very careful in how he answered. But Hoss couldn't bear to do anything except come perfectly clean with his father, even though it would cost them all a few days of comfortable sitting.

So Hoss came clean, watching Ben's growing rage for the first few sentences, and when he couldn't stand to see Pa's face, he looked at Adam and continued. But Adam was looking just as furious as Ben for having the entire story ratted out before his very ears, so Hoss finally directed his comments to the table.

After he had finished speaking, there was a long, uncomfortable silence. Hoss squirmed in his seat. Adam was examining his fingernails, as if hoping to find something interesting there. Ben, meanwhile, didn't quite know what to do. He should probably tan the hides off all three of his sons, but instead, he opted to go up and see if he could persuade Joe to eat something. So it was with great relief to Adam and Hoss as they watched Ben leave the table and storm upstairs to Joe's room.

Joe had just finished crumpling up his fifth piece of paper and rewriting the title and his name on another one when someone knocked on the door.

"If that's you again, Hoss, so help me I'll…" Joe yelled.

"Joseph, it's me. Open this door!" commanded Ben. Joe gulped, stood up and unlocked his bedroom door. Ben stepped in and looked down at his son. Joe knew that look. It meant that he was about to receive a long lecture, and possibly even a spanking. Joe hated spankings.

"What'd I do now?" Joe asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"Don't you know?" asked Ben. "Even if you don't, I do and so do Adam and Hoss."

Joe gulped again.

"Oh. That," Joe said. He sat down on the bed in a feeble attempt to protect his bottom. Ben sat down next to him. He cupped Joe's chin in his hand and said, "I think you'd better start from the beginning."

Joe told the exact same story that Hoss had just told. Ben listened quietly, all the while trying to remain patient. It wasn't easy after hearing what he had.

When Joe finished, he looked down at his feet and said, "I guess you're real mad at me now, aren't you?"

"Did you expect me not to be?"

"Not really, but I was kinda hopin' that you wouldn't find out either," said Joe with a questioning glance in his eyes.

"After I pressured your brothers a little, Hoss came clean. But Adam didn't look too happy about it," Ben explained.

"I guess you're gonna tan me good now, huh?" Joe's voice was barely above a whisper. He knew he had done something wrong, but he still didn't like getting tanned for anything. Besides, he was just trying to help some orphaned pups. Wasn't trying to raise them better than leaving them to starve to death in the middle of nowhere?

"I should, shouldn't I?" replied Ben. He sighed and stood up. Joe thought he knew what was coming, but instead Ben said, "Joseph, I just don't understand how you and your brothers could possibly think you would be able to raise six wild animals in your bedroom. What on earth possessed you to bring those pups home without telling me?"

"Well, there was this voice inside my head that told me to tell you, but I kinda ignored it," admitted Joe.

Ben sighed again and waited for some more explanation.

"I found their ma and she was dead. Then I found those pups and figured I could just raise them on my own. I didn't want them to starve to death, Pa! Besides, I was afraid that if I told you, you wouldn't let me keep them. As it was, I thought I was finished when Adam found out," Joe said quietly. "So tan me if ya have to, Pa, but I did the best I knew how."

Joe looked up at Ben with that sad, puppy-dog expression on his face. It was very hard to stay angry at Little Joe with such a helpless, innocent look, no matter how guilty he was.

"I think I'd better have a talk with all three of you downstairs," Ben said finally. He stood by the door, waiting for Joe to lead the way out. Joe got up from his bed, knowing that this was probably the last time he would be sitting there or anywhere else for a long time, and marched solemnly to the living room.

"Adam! Hoss! I want you to hear this, too," Ben called. Adam and Hoss looked at each other uncertainly and sat down on the settee. Joe settled in the middle of them. If they were going to get tanned, he didn't want to be first _or_ last.

* * *

**Me: So there ya have it folks. An update.**

**Dick: Joy to the world.**

**Me: Oh, who asked you?**

**Dick: Well, what else am I here for?**

**Me: Guess.**

**Dick: (sigh)**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**Claire-**Thank you-she's glad to hear it doesn't stink. Good point, though. Panamint never has been the greatest of math students (and now she's going to kill me for saying that...)

**jamie-**Good, glad you liked it! 8)


	3. Chapter 3

**_My Brother, My Enemy_**

**_Chapter Three_**

**DISCLAIMER: Note to all lawyers who actually read this thing--I don't own them. Don't sue me or you will squeeze about thirty cents out of me, tops.**

* * *

Adam knew that they had all gotten off very easy the previous night. He didn't know whether it was because of Joe's puppy-dog expressions or because Pa wanted to make sure that Joe could sit in his seat on the first day of school, but either way, the tanning had been prevented thanks to little brother. The only punishment they had received was a two-week restriction to the ranch. Adam would rather be restricted than tanned any day. 

Joe had left for school unusually early that morning because he hadn't eaten any breakfast. Nobody was sure whether it was nerves or because he was still mad at Adam. The only person who knew was Joe, and he most definitely was talking.

It was Hoss' turn to muck out the stalls, the boys' least favorite chore. They often wondered why Pa never took a turn at it and left his three sons to fight over who had to do the mucking that day instead. However, none of them had the nerve to ask their father such a question—not even Joe.

But today, Hoss was very glad that he had been mucking out the stalls.

Right in the middle of the dreaded chore, Hoss thought he had seen something in the empty stall of Starlight. He trotted over to the stall and peered inside. There, sleeping on the fresh hay in the very corner was a little black puppy. Its fur was all matted and knotted, sort of like Joe's hair when he forgets to comb it, thought Hoss.

Hoss slowly approached the small dog, but he wasn't quiet enough. The dog jerked awake with a start and whined as he saw Hoss looming nearer and nearer.

"Shhhhh, it's alright, pup. I ain't gonna hurt ya none," said Hoss softly. He carefully held the tiny pup in his hands and stroked it with two fingers. The little dog seemed to like that and its eyes were soon half-closed again. Unfortunately…

"Aren't you supposed to be mucking out the stalls?" asked a rather loud voice from the doorway. The pup woke again with a soft howl and a whimper. Adam trotted towards Hoss suspiciously.

"What do you have there in your hands, brother?" Adam said.

"Hands?" repeated Hoss nervously. "What hands?"

"_Your_ hands," Adam replied. Hoss finally relented and opened his cupped hands to reveal the black puppy.

"Hoss, if you're caught with that little guy, not only are we going to be restricted for life, we'll never sit down again either. Just because Pa let us off with a warning this time doesn't mean we're allowed to do the same kind of thing again," Adam told him. "So what are you going to do with him?"

Hoss thought a moment, and then came up with an idea. "I got it," he said. "I'm gonna give 'im ta Joe as a birthday present."

"You're going to WHAT!" yelled Adam.

"Not in front o' Pa, o' course," Hoss added quickly. "Besides, it might help ta brighten his mood a bit."

"Oh, sure, more secrets and more lies. That's gonna get us in real good by Christmas," Adam muttered.

The two heard Little Joe riding into the yard after a day at school. Hoss dumped the dog into Adam's arms and raced out to greet his brother. Adam groaned, thinking about how Pa would react if he caught his oldest, so-called most responsible son breaking the rules two days after being lectured on them.

Adam stuck the pup under some hay in the hayloft and hurried out the door.

When he came out, he didn't like what he saw.

There was Hoss, helping a rather stiff Little Joe down from his saddle. Adam couldn't see his youngest brother's face, but he had the basic idea of what had happened.

"Alright, Joe, what is it this time?" Adam groaned.

Joe looked up at him and glared. That was when Adam noticed the black eye, the bloody nose, the split lip and the way Joe was favoring his right leg.

"I got into another fight," Joe said flatly. He took Starlight by the reins and prepared to lead her into the stable, but Adam grabbed the reins as well and said, "Why?"

"Is it any of your business?" Joe snapped. He tugged on the reins again, but Adam still didn't let go. He felt a little sorry for poor Starlight, being tugged back and forth like that, but it didn't stop him from continuing his questioning.

"I asked you a question, and I expect an answer," Adam said. He ignored the 'back down' signals that Hoss was frantically giving him.

"I _said_, none of your business!" Joe repeated hotly. He gave the reins a final yank and Adam let go. Adam and Hoss watched their brother hurry to the stable.

"I hope he don't find that pup. By the way, whaddya do with 'im?" asked Hoss.

"I put him—"

"Hey! Who's this?" they heard Joe exclaim from the stable.

"I think he found him," Hoss mumbled, shooting Adam a glare. Both brothers went in after Joe and found him sitting on the floor stroking the black fur and smiling for the first time in weeks.

"Aw, dadburnit, Shortshanks, I wanted ta save that for yer birthday," complained Hoss.

"He's so cute!" Joe said. The puppy looked up into his new master's hazel-green eyes and wagged his tail. Joe giggled as the pup licked his nose. "Thanks for the thought, Hoss. I love him!"

Hoss' face turned a little pink as he knelt down beside Joe.

"Whatcha gonna call 'im, little brother?" asked Hoss.

"I dunno yet," Joe replied.

Adam saw that Joe was in a good mood for the first time in weeks. He knew that this was his chance to really, truly apologize. But there was one thing that stopped him: the fact that this puppy was not allowed in the house without Pa's permission, which he most certainly had not given. How would Joe react when Adam told him that? Not very well, probably. But he had to chance it before the three of them got into any more trouble.

"Pa doesn't know about it yet," Adam said.

Joe gave Adam another scowl. "In that case, I'm definitely keeping him, and you can't stop me!"

Joe stood up and marched triumphantly to the house, holding the pup close to his chest.

_Very bad move, Adam. Of COURSE Joe would want to do exactly what you say not to! Very, very bad move…_

It seemed like déjà vu over the next few weeks: Joe was raising a canine without Pa's permission and both his brothers knew about it yet were not lifting a finger to stop it. And even if they had tried to banish the newest addition to the Cartwright family, Joe would have put up a huge fuss. That would have gotten someone's attention in no time at all, and that was the last thing Adam wanted, especially after the wolf pup incident.

Joe, on the other hand, thought having the new puppy was great. The aching he had felt in his heart after discovering the wolf pups were gone was not so strong now, although it still hurt to think that he and Adam were still at odds. It hurt even more to think that his long-admired oldest brother had had the nerve to lie to get his way.

Joe came home from school one day to see Hoss playing with the pup out in the yard.

"Are you sure that's smart?" Little Joe asked. "What if Pa sees you?"

"He won't," Hoss assured him. "Pa an' Adam went up to the north pasture fer the afternoon."

"Why didn't you go with them?" Joe continued as he began to lead Starlight to the barn.

"'Cause I had things ta do here. Besides, someone had ta keep an eye on this little rascal," Hoss answered. The puppy jumped up around Hoss' legs, trying to get at his hands to lick them affectionately. Joe hurriedly stabled his pony so he could get in on the fun before he had to do homework.

"Ya still haven't named the little feller, have ya?" asked Hoss.

"No. I haven't been able to think of anything good," Joe admitted as he allowed the black dog to lick his face. It tickled and Joe laughed.

"Well, dontcha go an' leave the poor pup nameless forever, ya hear?" Hoss said.

"Yeah, I hear," Joe replied, imitating Hoss' accent. He did a pretty good job at it too. Hoss frowned and pretended to look annoyed, much to his little brother's amusement.

"So, any more o' them annoyin' school assignments, brother?" Hoss inquired as he watched Joe playing with the pup.

"No, but ol' Miss Jones finally graded our "What I Did during Summer Vacation" reports," Joe told him. "I wrote that went fishing with you an' Pa a lot and that I'm still mad at you for dropping out of school and abandoning me and stuff like that," Joe added, shooting a mock glare at Hoss.

"Whaddya git?" Hoss said, ignoring the glare.

"An F," Joe said. Hoss stared at him and Joe laughed. "'F' for 'Fantastic', that is," Joe giggled. "She said it was well-written and a good way to start off the school year. And she's mad at you for dropping out, too."

"Jist between you an' me, I don't really care what that ol' sourpuss thinks," Hoss stated.

Joe laughed even harder. "I'm gonna tell Pa you said that," he chortled. Joe picked up his dog and made a break for the house to escape Hoss' attacks.

"JOE!" Hoss shouted. "GIT YER ORNERY HIDE BACK HERE RIGHT NOW! Dadburnit…"

* * *

**Dick: Joe doesn't like to be called 'Shortshanks', you know. He told me so.**

**Me: Hey, Hoss called him that, not me.**

**Dick: You wrote it...**

**Me: Watch it, or I'll actually start working on that Batman story of mine and YOU WON'T LIKE IT AT ALL! Lots of Robin-torture... XD**

**Dick: Well, it's not like you're gonna kill me or anything.**

**Me: No, but Bruce comes close...**

**Dick: HEY!**

**Me: Bwahahahaha...**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**pkw--**You're welcome :) Here is the third part for your reading pleasure.

**Dick: You kill Bruce and I kill you!**

**Me: Not if I use my laptop to attack you with dozens and dozens of tribbles!**

**Dick: Cheater!**

**Me: Let's just say this is revenge for when you stole my TV set in the middle of "Jurassic Park"...**


	4. Chapter 4

**_My Brother, My Enemy_**

**_Chapter Four_**

**DISCLAIMER: Hey, would I be writing a disclaimer if I DID own them?**

* * *

Joe never did tell Pa what Hoss had said about Miss Jones. His little dog had gone missing, and he was too busy trying to find his dog to worry about telling Pa anything. 

"Alright, Adam, where is he?" Joe demanded the second he could get his older brother alone.

"Where's who?" asked Adam, quite surprised at Little Joe's outburst.

"You know who," Joe insisted. "My dog."

"Oh, that mutt," Adam mumbled under his breath. He set aside the book he had been enjoying and added, "I haven't seen him since I left for the north pasture this morning. And if you make any more noise, Pa will know we're—_you're_—up to something."

"Like I'm really going to believe you," Joe said hotly. "Now where is he?"

"I told you I don't know. Now leave me alone," replied Adam.

"Not until you tell me where my dog is," Joe told him stubbornly. He crossed his arms and glared at Adam, waiting for an explanation.

Adam sighed. "Listen, _brother_, I know that you don't have any good reasons to believe me, but I didn't take that little mutt of yours. Now do you mind leaving my room?"

"I'm not leaving," Joe stamped his foot and continued to glower at Adam. Adam could feel his temper rising.

"I'm going to count to three and if you're not out by then I'll throw you out!" threatened Adam.

He began his count-down. "One…"

"I'm not scared of you," Joe said, remaining firm.

"Two…"

"If you throw me out, Pa'll hear you and you'll be in trouble, too."

"Three. I warned you, Joe…"

"Supper's ready!" Ben yelled up the stairs, unknowingly saving Joe from his fate. The oldest and youngest Cartwright brothers continued to glare at each other as they made their way to the table. Ben sighed.

"Don't tell me you two are still upset over those wolves."

"No, Pa," Joe said. "We've found something different to argue about."

"Well, please try to settle whatever it is calmly. I'm tired of seeing you two fighting all the time!" Ben said.

All through supper, Joe squirmed rather uncomfortably in his seat. He was still thinking about what had happened to his dog. Where had Adam put him? And what if the 'little mutt' decided to show up in the middle of their meal? They'd all be in the doghouse then.

Ben noticed Joe's sudden restlessness and how little the boy was actually eating. But before he could ask what was wrong, Joe quickly asked to be excused and hurried off to the barn.

Ben turned to Adam. "What are you two fighting over now?" he asked.

"I'd rather not say, Pa," Adam said carefully. "It's kind of personal and I think we need to figure this out on our own."

"Ya won't even tell me?" cried Hoss, appalled. He had the basic idea what this latest disagreement was about, but he wanted to make sure. After all, wasn't he the one who had started this whole mess? Didn't he deserve to know what was going on if it was his discovery that was the root of the problem?

"Hoss, if you're brothers want to keep this between them, then I think we should let them—unless, of course, things get really out of hand in which case you and I might need to step in and do something about it," Ben said. Hoss sighed and nodded his head reluctantly.

While Ben and Hoss went back to eating and discussing the possibilities of early snows, Adam found it hard to concentrate. He knew that Joe was still mad at him over the wolf pups and that he was even madder now that he believed Adam had taken his puppy. Everything Adam said or did to try to apologize or make it up to his little brother either backfired or was taken the wrong way.

Adam sighed and, without warning, stood up from the table, put on his hat and went outside for a ride with the hopes that it would clear up his troubled mind.

Adam didn't really have a favorite place to go when he was upset. But this time, he thought he would pay a visit to Marie's grave. He hadn't been there for a while and thought it was appropriate, seeing as how it was Marie's boy that was giving him problems.

The grave wasn't nearly as beautiful as it was during the summer, because the cool weather of fall and the occasional morning frosts had killed the flowers and grass around the tombstone, and the sun didn't shine as often on the lake, but it was still a peaceful spot to be.

As Adam approached the grave, he took his hat off and held it in his hands. His eyes almost instantly focused on the five words that had been lovingly engraved on the stone a short six years ago:

_IN LOVING MEMORY  
MARIE CARTWRIGHT_

Adam suddenly found himself recalling that wonderful time so many years ago when Little Joe had been born. The boy had seemed so small, a trait which was emphasized by the fact that Adam had only seen one other baby in his life, and that was the unusually large Hoss. Adam could still remember asking Marie what the baby's name would be.

_"Joseph Francis Cartwright," she had replied with a beaming smile._

_"That's an awful big name for someone so little," Adam had said, trying to hide the disgust he felt. When Joseph got old enough to attend school, what would the other kids think of a name like that!_

_Hoss peered down at his new baby brother, who only offered a funny gurgling noise in return._

_"I think I'll call him Little Joe, 'cause he's so tiny," Hoss had suggested. "Is that okay, Mama?"_

_"Yes, I think that's a fine nickname," Marie had agreed…_

"What are you doing here?"

Adam shook his head, the younger voice behind him bringing his mind back to the present. He turned around and saw an eleven-year-old Little Joe standing there, his hand resting gently on Starlight's glossy chestnut coat.

"What are you doing here?" Joe repeated. He didn't sound angry or upset at all. Just calm and, naturally, curious.

"I just needed to get out for a while," said Adam. He looked back at the grave. The few remaining flowers blew gently in the late autumn wind.

"Me too," Joe replied. He walked over to the grave, knelt down in front of it and gazed blankly at the slab of stone before him.

"Why'd you come here?" Joe asked finally, not looking away from his mother's grave.

"I felt like it," Adam said. "Besides, I haven't been here in a while."

"Oh."

The two brothers remained there in silence for a minute, each thinking about the other and wishing that his brother would find it in his heart to forgive him. What they didn't realize was that each had forgiven the other long ago.

* * *

**Me: Um... I think I'll just skip to the reviewer replies. Dick?**

**Dick: What makes you think I'm going to do ANYTHING for someone who enjoys torturing me?**

**Me: Oh, I don't know... maybe because I'VE got the computer and can help Catwoman escape from the pen any time I want to.**

**Dick: (sigh) I knew I had a good reason.**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**lgbabyblu-**Happiness. That's always good, even if you don't know what for. And Panamint really likes being cute: she says thank you for that, too. ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

**_My Brother, My Enemy_**

**_Chapter Five_**

**DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own the Ponderosa or the Cartrights or anything... HAPPY, PARAMOUNT? (sigh)**

* * *

A week went by and Joe still hadn't found his dog or patched things up with Adam. Joe wished to do both, but he knew it was unlikely that Adam would ever tell where he had put the dog, and he was just plain scared that Adam wouldn't forgive him. So the two tasks remained undone. 

The first major snowfall was that Thursday. A full eight inches fell that day, and Joe did his homework extra-quickly so he could get outside and play before it melted or was ruined by too many horse tracks and footprints.

As soon as he got outside, Joe just stood there, looking out over the landscape. Everything was covered in a fresh, new layer of white. Icicles hung from the branches of the mighty Ponderosa pines that surrounded the house and the yard.

Joe had always loved the snow. At least, it was better than the stifling hot weather of summer and the cool rain showers of spring and fall. Snow was more fun than both of those things, especially the rain. You couldn't make balls to hit people with in the rain, and that was Joe's favorite pastime, next to putting frogs in his teacher's desk drawer.

Joe's first opportunity to throw a snowball that November wasn't far off: Adam and Hoss were in the barn tending to their horses. All the youngest Cartwright had to do was make a few balls, hide behind the water trough and wait for them to come out.

-

"Thanksgiving is next week," Adam said. He and Hoss were feeding their mounts in the stable after a morning of work.

"You don' need ta tell me, Adam," replied Hoss enthusiastically. "I sure could use a day off. And the food…!"

"Yeah," Adam continued in a somewhat dreamy tone. Although the Cartwrights ate well at all holidays (especially Hoss), Thanksgiving was always the best. There was just something about a Thanksgiving feast that couldn't be beat, and Adam always looked forward to it.

"All this talk o' food is makin' me hungry," Hoss announced. "Ain't it time fer lunch?"

"Everything makes you hungry," Adam joked, but it was good-natured. "You're right, though. Let's head inside and see what Hop Sing has for us today."

The two brothers left the barn, still discussing the upcoming holiday with each other. Adam was just saying how they should go to hunt down a turkey in a few days when a cold, round, wet object made contact with the side of his head. There was the sound of laughter as another snowball hit Hoss on the arm. The unmistakable giggles grew louder and more hysterical. Both knew who the snowball-throwing culprit was.

"Joe! Knock it off!" Adam bellowed.

Two more snowballs flew out of nowhere and Adam just barely managed to duck. But Hoss wasn't as lucky and got nailed on the head.

"Dadburnit, Joe, it ain't funny no more!" Hoss shouted. "You better stop right now or I'll pound ya right inta the ground! And I ain't kiddin', neither!"

Joe didn't heed the warning and continued making and firing his weapons.

"Okay, that does it," muttered Adam. He bent down and made a snowball, making sure it was as big as he could get it. Then, with a soft grunt, Adam tossed it straight at the only part of Joe that was visible—his left arm.

Adam's snowball made contact. Joe yelped as the unusually large ball thwacked his arm.

"Alright, that does it!" Joe yelled to his older siblings. "This is war! Do you hear me out there! WAR!"

Joe got to work making snowballs twice as fast as he had before. He threw them twice as hard, too, and giggled in delight as he watched his brothers frantically searching for cover in a convenient place. Unfortunately for them, there was none, but they kept throwing and ducking just the same.

The fight lasted for twenty minutes. By the time they were done, all three were exhausted and you could see patches of brown grass where they had scooped up the snow for ammunition.

Joe came out of his hiding place. "Good war," he said.

The look he got from his brothers in response was enough to get Joe giggling again. But, just as quickly as he started to laugh, he stopped to stare at something in the bushes. Hoss was confused at first, wondering what his usually cheery little brother was looking at. He turned around and saw a dirty black dog staring at them from the underbrush.

"It's my dog!" Joe cried. The small canine ran off at Joe's outburst.

"Hey! Come back!" yelled Joe. He ran off into the woods to find his long-lost pet.

"Joe, it's almost lunchtime! If you're late again, Hop Sing will skin you alive!" Adam warned, but Joe had already disappeared. Adam sighed deeply and hurried off to find his brother, leaving Hoss to come up with an excuse as to why two-thirds of the Cartwright brothers were going to be late for lunch.

"Hey, pooch! Where'd ya go?" Joe called. He cupped his hands to his mouth in order to be heard better and yelled, "HEY! WHERE ARE YOU!"

Joe didn't get an answer, and somewhere between shouting for his dog and crawling under bushes to see if he was there, a sudden thought occurred to the boy—maybe Adam had been telling him the truth. Maybe he _hadn't _taken Joe's pet. Perhaps the dog had just run off or gotten lost while playing outside. Joe started to feel guilty about blaming his brother without proof of his guilt. But he had had good reason to believe that Adam was at fault after the wolf pup incident… right?

For the first time in weeks, Joe began to have doubts.

But they would have to wait until later. Right now, he had a puppy to find.

"Poochie!" Joe tried again. "Here, boy!" Joe sighed in exasperation. He was getting tired of traipsing through the woods and snow. And he was getting hungry, too. "Come on, dog, where are you?"

Finally, Joe arrived near the half-frozen shores of Lake Tahoe. It appeared solid on top but it was only a thin layer of ice. Underneath were many feet of freezing-cold waters. Joe didn't really want to fall into that water, so he kept his distance and continued calling for his dog.

This time, he got a high-pitched yip in return.

Joe looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. He finally saw a little black dot, sticking out in the middle of the lake like a sore thumb. Joe grinned at the joy of finally finding the dog, but the grin dissolved as quickly as it had appeared. How could he get his dog to come to him?

Joe crouched down near the ice and called for his pet again: "Come on, boy! Come on!"

The black dot took a couple of steps forward, and then stopped. It was apparent that the little dog was too scared to come any closer.

Joe rolled his eyes and sighed again. "Here, boy! Come here!" Joe tried again, but he didn't have any success.

Finally, Little Joe knew what he needed to do. Very gingerly, he took a few steps out onto the semi-frozen lake. There was a soft crack and Joe continued towards the scared pup as fast as he dared. The ice continued to make quiet cracking noises as Joe stepped on it, even though he wasn't very heavy.

After what seemed like an eternity, Joe made it to the frightened animal. But just as he reached down to pick him up, the dog seemed to lose his fear and quickly scampered across the ice and made it safely to the same shore Joe had been standing only moments before. With an annoyed groan, Joe followed the rascally dog back to firm ground.

Joe was almost safe when there was a sudden noise. He looked down in alarm and saw that the thin ice beneath his feet was visibly cracking. Joe knew he would never get back to shore in time as the ice gave way and he disappeared below the water's surface.

"Joe!" Adam cried. He had arrived just in time to helplessly watch his youngest brother slip under the ice.

As if on cue, Joe suddenly reappeared. He tried to grab hold of something—anything—to pull himself up with, but the only thing within reach was the slippery ice. Adam dropped to his knees and reached out as far as he dared, trying to grab one of Joe's flailing arms.

"Adam!" cried Joe, spotting his brother for the first time. "Adam, help me!"

And before Adam could reply or do anything else, Joe vanished beneath the waves once again.

"Joe!" Adam yelled again.

This time, there was no answer. The only sounds were whines that came from the black dog Joe had obviously gone out to save. And now Joe would pay with his life.

Adam sat back on his heels for a minute, unsure of what to do. He couldn't just sit there and watch his brother drown, could he? Not the brother he had promised to take care of and protect the day he was born. Besides, the whole family would be destroyed if its youngest member were… gone.

Suddenly, Adam knew what he had to do. And, without even bothering to take his shoes off, he plunged head-long into the frigid water.

* * *

**Me: Okay, people, this story is almost done--only one or two more chapters. I hope this one was exciting enough for you.**

**Dick: I'll tell you one thing, it was much TOO exciting for Adam and Joe! They're really mad at you, ya know. They say that they won't ever speak to you again.**

**Me: They always say that.**

**Dick: Well, this time, they mean it. I could tell by the way they were using your school photo for target practice.**

**Me: (sigh)**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**lgbabyblu-**Well, here's the storm for you-poor Joe, falling through the ice like that! And thank you for the compliments. Panamint likes compliments...

**bonanza-fan-**I think that quote is from "Cool-Hand Luke", but I can't quite remember. Anyway. Here is the update, as promised (well, sort of).


	6. Chapter 6

**_My Brother, My Enemy_**

**_Chapter Six_**

**DISCLAIMER: Oh, gee, um... what are the odds of me owning _Bonanza?_ I'll tell you--zero.**

* * *

"Hoss, where are they? And I expect a straight answer this time," Ben demanded. 

Hoss gulped. He didn't know what to do. After all, he knew what his brothers were _doing_, but he didn't exactly know _where _they were doing it. And if he told, the hard feelings between Adam and Little Joe would probably spread to include him, too.

"Well…" Hoss stalled.

"Hoss?" Ben looked directly at his middle son. Hoss chanced a peek at his father's face. He didn't like what he saw and looked down again.

"I… don' really know where they are, Pa," Hoss said at last.

Ben sighed. It seemed that, lately, his sons were reluctant to tell him anything.

"You must know something, Hoss, otherwise you wouldn't be afraid to tell me," Ben observed. Hoss gave a defeated sighed and, once again, was forced to talk.

He told Ben everything.

-

The first thing Adam thought about as soon as he was underwater was that he was cold. He knew that he would have to do some fast searching if he was going to get himself and his brother back to the surface alive.

Adam opened his eyes a crack and looked around, forcing his brain to concentrate on finding Joe and not the coldness of the water. It wasn't easy, but Adam tried and was soon rewarded with the sight of an unconscious Joe sinking rapidly to the bottom of the lake.

Praying that Joe would be alright, Adam dove down after him. As he neared his brother, Adam found himself thinking of all the times—good and bad—that he and Little Joe had shared. There was the time when Adam had left for college. Joe had clung to him tightly and begged him not to go, but Adam left anyway. A very long four years later, Joe had clung to him again, this time with the joy and relief that his oldest brother was back. And then, the day when Joe had run away. The whole family had gone crazy looking for him, but it was Adam who had discovered Joe hiding in one of the abandoned mines and persuaded the scared little boy to come home.

It was these thoughts that gave Adam the strength to grab his brother around the waist and pull him quickly up to the surface.

Gasping for breath, Adam finally dragged his half-frozen, exhausted body, along with his brother's, to firm land. The little black dog was there, waiting for their return.

And so were Pa and Hoss.

After Hoss had spilled the beans, Ben had ordered that they go out and search for the two missing family members. He also made it quite plain to Hoss that they were all going to be in very, very big trouble, especially Joe. Adam would get into the least trouble, since he hadn't wanted the boys to keep the pup in the first place. AndHoss wouldbe in the middle somewhere for deciding to give the pup to Joe as a present. All in all, it wasn't unusual for the punishments to be spread out this way.

The two remaining Cartwrights set out in search of Adam and Joe, leaving their uneaten lunches and a very annoyed Hop Sing at the house.

Both Adam and Joe had left very clear tracks in the dirt, so it wasn't too hard to find them. But they weren't prepared for the sight that awaited them.

There was Adam, hauling himself and a limp Little Joe out of the icy waters of Lake Tahoe. The obvious question of "What the heck are those two doing in there" was pushed aside for the moment.

Ben's first thought was of Joe, who hadn't moved since Adam pulled him out of the water. It was quite unusual for the energetic youngest Cartwright to be so still for so long, and Ben was worried that he might be… no. He didn't dare say it, let alone think it.

"What happened?" he said instead.

"That's kind of a long story, Pa," Adam muttered.

"Yes, and I've heard it," replied Ben. Indicating the fuzzy black dog that was nuzzling Joe's cheek, he added, "I take it that this is the trouble-maker who started this mess?"

Adam gave Hoss a look and said yes.

Finally, Hoss voiced what had been on everyone's minds: "Is Joe… alive?" he asked.

"Yeah," Adam said, still holding Joe protectively. He looked down to reassure himself that his brother was still breathing. The boy's chest was still rising and falling steadily.

"We'd better get him home," said Ben in a somewhat calmer tone. He knelt next to Joe, scooped the boy into his strong arms and carried him back to his horse. After placing the still-unconscious Joe into the saddle, Ben mounted Buck as well and turned the horse's head for home. And, after a lengthy argument between Hoss and Adam, the two agreed that Adam would ride Chub and that Hoss would walk, since it wasn't very far to the house and, according to an only half-jesting Adam, he needed the exercise anyway.

-

He felt awful; that was all Little Joe knew for certain. His chest hurt, his legs hurt, his head hurt… as a matter of fact, everything hurt. And he was freezing, too. He thought he heard voices from somewhere, but they sounded so far away, and they all blurred together. Trying to comprehend the speech just gave Joe a bigger headache, so he gave up and tried to relax.

That was impossible, too. Somebody kept whispering his name over and over again, and Joe felt a hand stroking his hair. Joe wanted to answer the person—whoever it was—but he was just so tired…

But Ben was a stubborn man and kept calling Joe's name until the boy's eyes fluttered open. Joe stared at him with curious hazel-green eyes.

"Pa?" Joe said softly. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," replied Ben.

Joe started to explain, but Ben shushed him and said, "Not now, Joe. You just rest and you can tell us what happened later."

Joe was more than willing to comply, although he wondered why his father had woken him up just to tell him that. Maybe to make sure he was completely alright? Joe was just too tired to think anymore and fell asleep quickly.

When Joe woke up again, he was in his own bed and had his nightshirt on. No sooner had he sat up in bed when Adam popped into the room. He seemed surprised to see his brother awake.

There was an awkward pause as the two of them stared at each other. Finally, Adam broke the silence.

"Feeling any better?" he asked.

"Yeah," answered Joe. He suddenly looked down and added, "Adam… can I, um, talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

Adam sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for Joe to talk again.

For some reason, Joe found it hard to begin. He had been mad at Adam for so long now that he wasn't sure if he was ready to be on good terms with him yet. But he had delayed long enough, Joe decided, so he began.

For the next ten or fifteen minutes, Adam listened to his brother as he explained what had happened and why he had been out on the ice.

As soon as he had finished speaking, Joe paused for a moment and then added in a low voice, "I'm really, really sorry, Adam. I shouldn't have blamed you for anything until I heard your side of the story. I know it's a little late, but… I wanna listen now."

Adam couldn't believe that it was _Joe _who was apologizing to _him_. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Wasn't he himself the one who had started this mess?

"Joe, you're not the one who should be apologizing," Adam said slowly. "I should. This is my fault, isn't it? I never should have tricked you just to get those wolf pups out of the house. It was wrong; I guess I knew that all along but wasn't willing to admit it."

Another pause.

"What I'm trying to say here, Joe, is that I'm sorry for tricking you like that. Can you forgive me?"

Joe blinked. Since when did Adam ever say his was sorry for anything? Since now, apparently.

"Yeah," Joe agreed whole-heartedly. He held out his hand and Adam shook it, neither of them aware that their father was just outside the door and had heard the whole thing. And after hearing the tender conversation, Ben didn't have the heart to punish anybody.

* * *

**Me: Sit tight, people, there's one more chapter left!**

**Dick: (sarcastically) Oh, great.**

**Me: (glaring) ANYWAY, about the incident with Joe running away to the mine... I made it up. I meant to write a story about it, but never got around to it.**

**Dick: She means she was too lazy to do it.**

**Me: (glaring even more) Hey, did Adam and Joe forgive me yet?**

**Dick: Heck no!**

**Me: Do they want me to let Joe live or don't they? Now do the replies!**

**Dick: Meanie.**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**lgbabyblu-**That's nothing, you should hear about some of the weird stuff Panamint does (I'd tell you, but it's not like she gives me a heck of a lot of space here). Anyway, yes, it does sound like McDonald's. Glad you liked it enough to compare it with that. ;-)

**bonanza-fan-**It'll be my pleasure! XD Any other little chores you'd like me to do?

**pkw-**Hm. Never thought of it that way, but it does work quite well what you say it like that, doesn't it? And, being the mean person she is, Panamint wouldn't tell me where the dog went. My guess is that he just ran off and was wandering aimlessly around the Ponderosa the whole time.


	7. Chapter 7

**_My Brother, My Enemy_**

**_Chapter Seven_**

**DISCLAIMER: Hmmm, let's see. Do I own _Bonanza_? (thinks hard) Ummm... NO! I'm not even CLOSE to owning them! But if I did, I would SO release DVDs by season like _Little House on the Prairie _instead of just a couple of randomly-chosen episodes at a time. If anyone would care to start a petition asking Paramount to donate the _Bonanza_ rights to The Almighty Panamint, please feel free to review saying so. Thank you, have a nice day! ;-D**

* * *

"Please, Pa?" Hoss begged for the millionth time that day. He knew he must sound as annoying as Little Joe, but he just had to convince Pa! "Why not? Joe's been takin' real good care o' him fer the past few weeks. Please?" 

"Hoss, I said no. You know I don't approve of animals in the house. Besides, Hop Sing would have a fit."

Hoss hated doing anything that would make Hop Sing mad, because he always threatened to go back to China when he was mad. But he also wanted his brother to be happy, so he continued.

"Pa, jist look at the little feller. Ain't he cute? Can ya really blame Joe for wantin' a pup like this 'un?" Hoss held the black dog up for Ben to see. The dog looked at Ben with huge, sad, puppy-dog eyes which reminded him all too much of the look Little Joe gave him whenever he was in trouble or when he wanted something. And when Joe looked at him like that, he could never ignore his son for long.

Ben gave a loud, long sigh and announced, "I think Joe would like to see you—and his dog."

Hoss whooped in delight and hurried up the stairs with the dog in his arms.

When he reached Joe's bedroom door, he knocked and, without even waiting for "Come in", barged straight into the room. He found Adam and Joe talking on the bed with big smiles on their faces.

"Hey…" Joe began as he saw Hoss come into his room without permission.

"Never mind that," Hoss interrupted. He held up the dog and said, "Guess who I found follerin' us back home and who Pa said you could keep?"

Joe's eyes lit up in delight and he took the puppy from Hoss' hands. "Really? You convinced Pa to let us keep him?"

Hoss nodded happily.

"Wow, thanks a lot, Hoss! You're the best!" Joe beamed. Hoss blushed as Joe stroked the little dog.

"So now that he's definitely yours, what are you going to call him?" asked Adam.

Joe thought for a minute, then shrugged and admitted, "I don't know."

"How about Spot?" suggested Hoss.

"He doesn't _have_ any spots. He's just black," Joe said, rolling his eyes.

Joe was so deep in thought that he didn't notice when Adam whispered something to Hoss with a sneaky look on his face. Hoss was hard-put to keep from laughing right out loud when he agreed to Adam's idea.

"How about Tickles?" Hoss said.

Joe gave him a revolted look. "Tickles!" he repeated. "What kind of a name is that?"

"It may not be a good name," said Adam. "But it's a very good idea. Come here, you…"

Before Joe could stop them, both his brothers were practically on top of him, tickling like crazy.

"Hey, stop!" Joe yelped between giggles. He started to wriggle, trying to escape his brothers' fingers, but there was no way out for Little Joe.

"Let me up! Hoss…! Adam…! Stop it!" Joe squealed again. "I'll call Pa if ya don't!"

Adam and Hoss just tickled faster.

"Pa!" called Joe, gasping for breath. "Pa, come quick! They're… they're trying to kill me!"

Before any of them knew it, Ben was standing in the doorway, watching in amusement.

"Make 'em stop!" Joe commanded. "They're gonna tickle me to death!"

"Oh, now we wouldn't want that, would we?" Hoss said, turning to Adam.

"Nope," Adam agreed. "I mean, _I _wouldn't care—maybe we could have some peace and quiet around here for a change. But Pa would be absolutely _furious_ if we killed a little boy—especially his own son…"

"Just STOP!" demanded Joe. But no matter how serious he tried to sound, he couldn't stop giggling.

Finally, Adam and Hoss straightened up and let their brother breathe.

Joe just lay on the bed for a minute, panting hard. When he had caught his breath, he propped himself up on his elbows, glowered viciously at his brothers and said, "I hope your fingers are sore in the morning."

Adam and Hoss just laughed, and Joe couldn't help but join in.

When the laughter died down, Ben handed Joe his dog, who had managed to escape the tickling.

"I think you scared him," Ben informed his three sons. "He was sitting there in the corner, as still as a rock."

"Hey, I've got it!" Joe cried, taking the little black dog from Ben's hands. "We could call him Rocky. After all, he's black like a rock, and he said he was as still as a rock, too."

"Too bad he isn't as _silent_ as a rock," Adam grumbled good-naturedly.

Joe ignored his older brother and asked, "So can we call him Rocky?"

"Why not?" said Ben, smiling at Joe. Joe smiled back and started to pet Rocky. He grinned as the dog gave his fingers a lick, and Joe could have sworn that Rocky grinned back.

**_The End_**

EPILOGUE:

The Cartwrights never did find out who was poaching on their land that fateful day in June. But they were all sort of glad that whoever it was _had_ been poaching, because it led two of the family members to a much better understanding of each other and had given them all a lesson in forgiveness, love and understanding.

* * *

**Me: That's it, people! All's well that ends well!**

**Dick: Except for you.**

**Me: Um... why?**

**Dick: Because now Adam and Joe are finished with their target practice and are coming after you. In person. With really big guns.**

**Me: (sweating) But it had a happy ending, didn't it?**

**Dick: Yeah, but they're still pretty miffed about HOW you GOT to the happy ending.**

**Me: (runs away)**

**Dick: (sigh)**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**bonanza-fan-**Yup, that's why. Little Joe is feeling much better now, and he says thank you for thinking of him. He really appreciated that little bit of consideration.

**lgbabyblu-**Panamint told me not to answer that on the grounds that it might incriminate her (whatever that means). And chocolate cake with peaches and whipped cream sounds pretty good right about now...


End file.
